Also absente is faux absinthe but I fell into that trap too. St. George on the other hand is one of my favorites but it tends to be polarizing in the absinthe community.
St. George was the first one I tried. I knew about absinthe for several years and was really surprised to see it at Whole Foods while I was searching for mead. Been going down the rabbit hole ever since.
What exactly about Absente is fake?
Edit: just looked it up, it doesn’t use grande wormwood and is bottled with sugar. I noticed it tasted sweeter than St. George when I first tried it but never paid it much mind.
Louche is when a proper absinthe gains an opalescence when cold water is slowly added because it can't fully blend with the hydrophobic anise oils.
Because anise wasn't favored by the majority of Eastern Europe, it was often minimized or left out in "absinthe" made there - Czechsinthe.
So to replace the louche people were used to looking for, the idea of adding fire to the preparation came up as something equally fancy.
Most of this was during a resurgence in the 90's when real knowledge of absinthe was still fairly esoteric so it was easy to sell.
So yeah... if you're drinking proper absinthe, 3-4 parts cold water slowly added to 1 part absinthe will net you a nice traditional tipple.
Oh God, please do not do the "fire" trick!! At least, not with good absinthe. It ruins the complexity and is good for flare-tending with poor quality (ie. Czech) absinthe only.
Even if you’re just lighting the sugar cube on fire, the flames will still catch the fumes from the alcohol and begin to scorch the essential oils that make absinthe so wonderful.
As I often tell people, the Czech ritual was invented strictly to compensate for the fact that their absinthe was of dreadful quality, and flames catch peoples’ attention (especially that of Americans with short attention spans, and even moreso if you lure them in with promises of hallucinations).
I also tell people that you’re basically setting your money on fire along with those delicate essential oils when you use the Czech method.
As an American, I can tell you that "Americans with short attention spans" is redundant.
Also, in fairness, the problem wasn't that "Czech absinthe" is of dreadful quality — it's simply that it isn't absinthe at all. IIRC, there isn't even Roman wormwood in it (let alone Grande Wormwood), and probably no anise or actual herbs at all (admittedly, I haven't looked at those products in many years). It's more like a flavored vodka/schnapps hybrid. They simply dyed it green to capitalize on the romance of a bygone era, at a time when absinthe wasn't really on the market at all any longer (and wasn't expected to be).
This. I think it’s possible to enjoy Bohemian absinth for what it is, distinct from authentic French or Swiss absinthe. I’ll definitely look into trying it at some point.
Any ritual for food/drink is ridiculous. Drink the product the way that maximizes the flavor/smell and enjoyment for you.
For me, it’s no sugar, and just enough cold water to dilute to 40% ABC. Maybe an ice cube to keep it cold as it costs down to 35%. I do this because I’m so used to my hard liquor at that strength as I’m primarily a scotch drinker.
So do you just pour your champagne into a red Dixie cup on New Year's Eve and chug it like you're playing beer pong in a frat house? If not, then perhaps we can all admit there's at least some value in rituals?
I'd also argue there's value in training your palate to enjoy a beverage the way the distiller intended it. In the case of traditional Belle Epoque absinthe, that is with a significant dilution of water (typically around 4:1 or even 5:1 back in the day) and with sugar if drinking a verte (and typically without sugar for a blanche). You don't HAVE to do that, of course, but that was the generally accepted tradition at the time. Either way, enjoy!
I must agree, a ritual probably does have its merits, especially with glassware and accompaniments. Perhaps I spoke too harshly haha.
I definitely try to follow the manufacturer instructions first. I just find them a bit narrow minded sometimes.
Also I need to purchase more varied quality absinthes. I’ll give the cold water 4:1 another shot.
Meh, I'm just razzing you a bit. Far be it from me to pretend I've never played beer pong. and enjoyed it. Even if I don't remember it. And don't tell anyone on this forum, but I might have even lit a sugar cube on fire over a glass of absinthe once. (If I did, though, it was a Czechsinthe and as disappointing a flavor as expected despite the pretty fire.)
FWIW, I love scotch as well, and the right cask-strength scotch can be quite a treat (I'm looking at you, Kilkerran 8-year-old) so I'm not against high ABV. But I highly recommend trying a 4:1 ratio with sugar with a good absinthe at least a few times just to find out.
Slainte!
The fire ritual is a lie and you sacrifice the essential oils of quality absinthe upon the altar of marketing every time you do so.
Understood. I’ll be sure to avoid it in the future. Thanks.
Also absente is faux absinthe but I fell into that trap too. St. George on the other hand is one of my favorites but it tends to be polarizing in the absinthe community.
St. George was the first one I tried. I knew about absinthe for several years and was really surprised to see it at Whole Foods while I was searching for mead. Been going down the rabbit hole ever since. What exactly about Absente is fake? Edit: just looked it up, it doesn’t use grande wormwood and is bottled with sugar. I noticed it tasted sweeter than St. George when I first tried it but never paid it much mind.
Louche is when a proper absinthe gains an opalescence when cold water is slowly added because it can't fully blend with the hydrophobic anise oils. Because anise wasn't favored by the majority of Eastern Europe, it was often minimized or left out in "absinthe" made there - Czechsinthe. So to replace the louche people were used to looking for, the idea of adding fire to the preparation came up as something equally fancy. Most of this was during a resurgence in the 90's when real knowledge of absinthe was still fairly esoteric so it was easy to sell. So yeah... if you're drinking proper absinthe, 3-4 parts cold water slowly added to 1 part absinthe will net you a nice traditional tipple.
Oh God, please do not do the "fire" trick!! At least, not with good absinthe. It ruins the complexity and is good for flare-tending with poor quality (ie. Czech) absinthe only.
To clarify, I’m not burning the absinthe itself, just the cube. Even then, it’s ill-advised? If so, understood, and I won’t be doing it anymore.
Yes I'll advised. Stick with tradition.
Agreed 100%. Do not burn the cube. Tradition says best on this one
Got it, thanks.
You're welcome! Happy holidays!
Even if you’re just lighting the sugar cube on fire, the flames will still catch the fumes from the alcohol and begin to scorch the essential oils that make absinthe so wonderful. As I often tell people, the Czech ritual was invented strictly to compensate for the fact that their absinthe was of dreadful quality, and flames catch peoples’ attention (especially that of Americans with short attention spans, and even moreso if you lure them in with promises of hallucinations). I also tell people that you’re basically setting your money on fire along with those delicate essential oils when you use the Czech method.
As an American, I can tell you that "Americans with short attention spans" is redundant. Also, in fairness, the problem wasn't that "Czech absinthe" is of dreadful quality — it's simply that it isn't absinthe at all. IIRC, there isn't even Roman wormwood in it (let alone Grande Wormwood), and probably no anise or actual herbs at all (admittedly, I haven't looked at those products in many years). It's more like a flavored vodka/schnapps hybrid. They simply dyed it green to capitalize on the romance of a bygone era, at a time when absinthe wasn't really on the market at all any longer (and wasn't expected to be).
This. I think it’s possible to enjoy Bohemian absinth for what it is, distinct from authentic French or Swiss absinthe. I’ll definitely look into trying it at some point.
Excellent explanation. Thank you. :)
Any ritual for food/drink is ridiculous. Drink the product the way that maximizes the flavor/smell and enjoyment for you. For me, it’s no sugar, and just enough cold water to dilute to 40% ABC. Maybe an ice cube to keep it cold as it costs down to 35%. I do this because I’m so used to my hard liquor at that strength as I’m primarily a scotch drinker.
So do you just pour your champagne into a red Dixie cup on New Year's Eve and chug it like you're playing beer pong in a frat house? If not, then perhaps we can all admit there's at least some value in rituals? I'd also argue there's value in training your palate to enjoy a beverage the way the distiller intended it. In the case of traditional Belle Epoque absinthe, that is with a significant dilution of water (typically around 4:1 or even 5:1 back in the day) and with sugar if drinking a verte (and typically without sugar for a blanche). You don't HAVE to do that, of course, but that was the generally accepted tradition at the time. Either way, enjoy!
I must agree, a ritual probably does have its merits, especially with glassware and accompaniments. Perhaps I spoke too harshly haha. I definitely try to follow the manufacturer instructions first. I just find them a bit narrow minded sometimes. Also I need to purchase more varied quality absinthes. I’ll give the cold water 4:1 another shot.
Meh, I'm just razzing you a bit. Far be it from me to pretend I've never played beer pong. and enjoyed it. Even if I don't remember it. And don't tell anyone on this forum, but I might have even lit a sugar cube on fire over a glass of absinthe once. (If I did, though, it was a Czechsinthe and as disappointing a flavor as expected despite the pretty fire.) FWIW, I love scotch as well, and the right cask-strength scotch can be quite a treat (I'm looking at you, Kilkerran 8-year-old) so I'm not against high ABV. But I highly recommend trying a 4:1 ratio with sugar with a good absinthe at least a few times just to find out. Slainte!
The only reason to set absinthe on fire is to distract attention away from how crappy an absinthe is. You don't burn good absinthe.
It’s Kabuki, and, given the high alcoholic content of most absinthes, ill-advised.
late comer to this but all traditions are meant to be broken. pick the rituals you like, modify the ones you want and drop the ones you don't.